WRITING TIPS

Observation is the key to good writing. Whether you write realistic fiction or high fantasy or anything in between, grounding aspects of...

“Everyone is the hero of their own story,” said John Barth. Most people are intrinsically aware of this, but many writers are averse to...

In elementary school, we learn about Freytag’s diagram, the supposed general outline of every plot in the universe. The idea is: a story...

In honor of Valentine’s day, I wanted to dedicate this week’s post to romance tropes. Almost every young adult novel has a romantic...

All writers know that feeling… when you want to write, and you know you want to write, but you don’t know what to write about. Finding...

Last week, I focused on story endings, but before every ending comes a beginning. A strong hook is an important part of all stories....

With the end of the year just around the corner, I wanted to spend this post focusing on story endings. Like everything with writing,...

Stories are defined by their genres—often more so than their characters or their plot. Whether you want to publish your story or simply...

What makes a good story? Yes, you need characters and plotlines that intrigue your readers. But, importantly, setting is also one of the...

Characters are the heart of any story. Most readers read because they’re invested in the characters. They want to see how a character...

I recently completed a six-week internship with Young Voices, which is a journalism company that helps young writers write and publish...

Until a few years ago, I was under the impression that novels were the only form of literature worth pursuing. I didn’t even consider the...

Happy Pride Month! In honor of pride month, this week’s post talks about the importance of diversity in literature and how to incorporate...

Stakes are the lifeblood of every story. If there’s nothing at stake for the characters, there’s nothing at stake for the readers. If...

Think of three books. Odds are, at least one of them is part of a series. Book series give readers more of what they love, while letting...

While the beginning of a story sets up the world, people, and themes, the end wraps it all together. It’s either a reward or a punishment...

It’s really easy to put down a book after reading a few pages, but it becomes increasingly more difficult to do so as you go on. Once...

Almost every story can be traced back to some core plotline that can be found in other books of that type. Harry Potter is about the...

In previous posts, I have discussed drafting, revising, and editing, but however difficult these stages of the writing process may be,...

Research is one of those parts of the writing process that nobody thinks about. Nobody, that is, except writers. It’s so essential but...